Redwood High grad putting in the time to build golf program up at Dominican

GOLF IS AN OPTIMIST'S game: You gotta believe that, no matter how miserably you've been playing, you're going to be better next time out on the course.

Gary Nelson is a golfer, and a pretty good one at that. The Mill Valley native was a member of the two-time MCAL champion Redwood High golf team a decade ago, and he played respectably for the University of San Francisco from 2006 to '08.

He, too, has an optimist's outlook.

"I believe," the golf coach at Dominican University said recently, "we can build a great golf program here."

He's got some work to do.

Before the Pacific West Conference championship got under way last spring — Nelson's first season at the San Rafael school — the Penguins were picked to finish ninth in the 10-team men's tournament. And that's exactly where they ended up — in ninth place.

"The results weren't good," Nelson said. "The team was struggling to find its way."

But an influx of new blood — four freshmen and a junior college transfer — has Nelson thinking that the Penguins may have gotten their bearings.

"This is the largest recruiting class in Dominican (golf) history, a lot of different players from a lot of different states," Nelson said. "They have a good attitude and I'm excited about that. ... I'm excited to get them into events."

Nelson is particularly anxious to see how Forbes Collins, a JC transfer from Southern California, fits into the mix. "He has the qualifications to be our No. 1 player," he said.

"They're pretty much just one shot apart (from each other)," he said. "Anyone of those guys can beat each other on any given day."

Of course, the newbies will have to meld with four returning players — senior Ken Santos, juniors John DeDonatis and Sean Kawaguchi and sophomore Tom Morris — but Nelson doesn't anticipate any problems there. "I think they all will be great representatives of Dominican University and Marin County," he said.

(Nelson also coaches the women's team, which will make its Pac West debut in the spring, and he hopes the four freshman recruits — Claire Baldal, Haley Moon, Corrine Ow and Isabelle Salcedo — that will join the Penguins' sole returnee, sophomore Kimberly Harris, and graduate student Cayla Morphew will be a competitive squad. "It's a whole new team," he said.)

And as the Penguins are finding their footing, so is Nelson.

"The transition from player to coach has been a positive experience," he said. "I'm certainly getting more familiar with the team and the team dynamics. I know what to expect from them."

He got better than he anticipated when the men's team played in a couple of offseason tournaments in Colorado earlier this month. After a so-so showing in the Grizzly Kick-Starter tournament in Alamosa on Sept. 7-8, the Penguins performed much better at the Peaks Classic at La Veta a couple of days later, with Santos finishing in a tie for third and the team finishing sixth out of 11 squads.

"I think it was a successful trip," Nelson said. "We improved quite a bit over those two tournaments. "... The team really came together; they were pretty solid; they displayed sound course management, and showed they have a strong foundation."

He'll have an even better handle on the squad — both men's and women's — after they compete in several more offseason tournaments over the next few weeks: The men's team will head up to Santa Rosa early next month for the Sonoma State Invitational, while the women went to Arizona this past weekend and will journey to Monterey in mid-October.

"These nonchampionship season events are very important; they will affect where we will place in the national (pre-season) rankings," Nelson said. "I think we have the potential to place in the top three in these events."